Editor’s View: “All the winners and finalists deserved public recognition for their achievements over the last 12 months”

Organising an awards ceremony can only be compared to planning a wedding – it takes months of preparation, and then it’s over with a flash, but the memories still remain.

On Monday night we presented the second annual Professional Jeweller Awards at the Bloomsbury Ballroom in London, and it was a truly special evening.

Over 200 business big shots from the UK jewellery industry gather together to celebrate the trade at our sold-out event. And, despite ongoing challenges the trade, and many other sectors, are currently facing, there was an awful lot to celebrate as all the companies shortlisted have shown change does not need to be a barrier to success.

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From the family-owned independents that have built up incredibly loyal customer bases to the multinational chains that have pushed the envelope in terms of new concepts and technology, the jewellery retail landscape remains rich and diverse.

Of course, successful retailers rely heavily on an engaged and effective supply chain, which is why we were also delighted to have so many of the industry’s leading jewellery brands and suppliers join us at the Bloomsbury Ballroom. Their work deserves the highest level of recognition too, and the finalists and winners we announced throughout the course of the evening can be described as the best in the business.

I know some have question whether the trade needs another awards ceremony, to which I remind them when Professional Jeweller first launched the consensus was there was no need for another trade publication, but we quickly became the UK’s leading title. However, there’s no doubt in my mind that all the finalist and winners of the 2018 Professional Jeweller Awards deserved public recognition for what they have achieved over the last 12 months.

The Professional Jeweller Awards are unique for the fact that the winners of each category are entirely decided by the industry. Many of you took the opportunity to cast your votes online – with suppliers permitted to vote for retailers and retailers voting for suppliers.

The net result of this process is that the winners unveiled were all been chosen by the industry, which we think is the ultimate endorsement.

Many of the categories also went down to the wire and in some cases the difference between first and second place was just a couple of percent, which I think underlines just how high the standards were set.

So I have to say a massive congratulations to each and every business shortlisted, and of course, the well-deserved winners of the 2018 Awards!

The atmosphere on the evening was electric, and it was an honour to host so many esteemed individuals and companies. Thank you to every single person who attended for making the night so special.

And last but not least, I want to thank our sponsors – Cadfolio, Kit Heath, Parify, River Mounts, Sif Jakobs Jewellery, and V12 Retail Finance – for helping us put on such a memorable ceremony.

All that’s left for me to do now is to publish the results in the next issue of Professional Jeweller, and start planning next year’s event!